ENS

Carol J. Gallagher, suffragan bishop in Southern Virginia.

New York

The Episcopal diocese of Southern Virginia has elected the first female bishop in its history-and the first indigenous woman bishop anywhere in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Carol J. Gallagher was elected suffragan bishop to assist Bishop David C. Bane, Jr.

Her primary duties will be to provide pastoral care for clergy families and to work with small congregations. Bishop-elect Gallagher, 45, is a member of the Cherokee Nation.

She has been an Episcopal priest for 11 years and is currently rector of St. Anne's Church in Middletown, Del., where she has served since 1996.

She has been active in the Episcopal church at the national level, serving on the Episcopal Council of Indian Ministries and on the church's anti-racism committee.

Ms. Gallagher is married and the mother of three daughters. She is a candidate for a Ph.D. in urban affairs and public policy at the University of Delaware.

She received her undergraduate degree at Antioch College in Baltimore and her Master of Divinity from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass.